O.  E.  S.  LIBRARY.  COP.  1.  IT"  ^^ 

CONNECTICUT  n° ' '  ^^ 

AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION 

NEW    HAVEN,    CONN. 


BULLETIN   152,  JANUARY,   1906. 


The  Improvement  of  Corn  in  Connecticut. 


CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Factors  in  the  Increase  of  Crops 3 

Beginnings  of  Domestic  Improvements  of  Corn 5 

Principles  of  Corn  Breeding 5 

Examples  of  Improvement  of  Corn  by  Breeding 7 

Corn  Breeding  in  Connecticut 7 

Methods  of  Selection 8 

Starting  a  Breeding  Plot 10 

Degrees  of  Relationship  among  Corn  Plants 11 

The  Breeding  Plot 12 

Detasseling 13 

Making  Selections  from  Breeding  Plot 13 

Plan  for  Planting.  . 14 

Increase  Plot 17 

Commercial  Field 17 

Record  Keeping 18 


The  Bulletins  of  this  Station  are  mailed  free  to  citizens  of  Con- 
necticut who  apply  for  them,  and  to  others  as  far  as  the  editions 
permit.  / 


CONNECTICUT  AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION, 

OFPICEES    JL.JSTJD     STAFF. 

BOARD   OF   CONTROL. 
His  Excellency,  Henry  Roberts,  Ex  officio,  President. 

Prof.  F.'  G.  Benedict  Middletown. 

Prof.  W.  H.  Brewer,  Secretary New  Haven. 

B.  W.  Collins  Meriden. 

T.  S.  Gold West  Cornwall. 

Edwin  Hoyt  New  Canaan. 

J.  H.  Webb Hamden. 

E.  H.  Jenkins,  Director  and  Treasurer New  Haven. 


STATION   STAFF. 

Chemists. 

Analytical  Laboratory. 

A.  L.  Winton,  Ph.D.,  Chemist  in  charge. 

E.  Monroe  Bailey,  Ph.B.  J.  L.  Kreider,  M.A. 

Kate  G.  Barber,  B.S.  E.  J.  Shanley,  Ph.B. 

Laboratory  for  the  Study  of  Proteids. 
T.  B.  Osborne,  Ph.D.,  Chemist  in  charge.  I.  F.  Harris,  M.S. 

Botanist. 
G.  P.  Clinton,  S.D. 

Entomologist. 
W.  E.  Britton,  Ph.D. 

Assistant  to  the  Entomologist. 
B.  H.  Walden,  B.Agr. 

Forester. 
Austin  F.  Hawes,  M.F. 


Edward  M.  East,  M.S. 

Grass  Gardener. 
James  B.  Olcott,  South  Manchester. 

Stenographers  and  Clerks. 

Miss  V.  E.  Cole. 
Miss  L.  M.  Brautlecht. 

In  charge  of  Buildings  and  Grounds. 
William  Veitch. 

Laboratory  Helper. 
Hugo  Lange. 

Sampling  Agent. 
V.  L.  Churchill,  New  Haven. 


The   Improvement   of  Corn   in 
Connecticut. 


By  Edward  M.  East. 


Factors  in  the  Increase  of  Crops. 

Under  uniform  market  conditions  and  on  soil  of  a  uniform 
value,  the  yield,  the  quality,  and  hence  the  profitableness  of  a 
corn  crop  depends  on  two  sets  of  conditions  (or  forces)  ;  the 
first  of  which,  environment,  is  external  to  the  plant;  and  the 
second,  heredity,  resides  within  the  plant  itself. 

Of  the  different  factors  in  the  environment  of  the  corn 
plant,  climatic  conditions  such  as  temperature,  sunlight  and 
rainfall  are  beyond  our  control ;  others,  such,  as  attacks  of 
insect  enemies  and  parasitic  fungi,  are  slightly  under  our  con- 
trol ;  while  tillage  and  the  supplying  of  plant  food  to  the  crop 
are  very  largely  under  control.  Both  of  these  last  named 
factors,  however,  are  items  of  considerable  yearly  expense. 
The  whole  cost  of  the  use  of  the  land,  preparing  the  soil,  buying 
the  seed,  planting  and  cultivating  is  a  "fixed  charge,"  that  is 
it  is  the  same  whether  the  crop  is  large  or  small.  It  is  the 
variation  in  the  size  of  the  crop  that  makes  the  difference 
between  profit  and  loss.  The  costs  of  harvesting,  storing  and 
marketing  might  also  be  included  in  this  list,  as  they  vary  only 
slightly  with  increasing  yields. 

The  actual  cost  of  plant  food  used  may  be  reduced  by  the 
use,  as  green  manures,  of  legumes  which  fix  nitrogen  from 
the  air  in  the  soil,  and  by  feeding  the  entire  corn  crop  to  stock 
on  the  farm  and  carefully  saving  and  returning  the  complete 
manure  to  the  soil.  At  present,  it  does  not  seem  possible 
to  maintain  or  increase  our  stock  of  soil  phosphoric  acid  and 
soil  potash  without  the  use  of  a  greater  or  less  quantity  of 
commercial    fertilizer.     If   either   compound   is  below   normal 


4  CONNECTICUT   EXPERIMENT   STATION,    BULLETIN    1 52. 

in  the  soil,  that  is,  if  profitable  increase  in  crop  is  given  by 
application  of  compounds  of  either  to  the  soil,  then  we  should 
supply  it  in  amount  sufficient  to  produce  a  maximum  crop 
without  robbing  the  land.*  A  maximum  crop,  say  one  hun- 
dred bushels,  will  not  always  be  reached,  but  the  land  should 
always  be  given  the  opportunity  to  produce  it,  and  this  prac- 
tically reduces  the  cost  of  plant  food,  also,  to  a  "fixed  charge." 

These  conditions,  then,  which  make  up  the  environment  of 
the  crop,  or  which  keep  the  environment  in  a  suitable  condition 
to  produce  a  maximum  crop,  all  involve  expense  to  the  farmer, 
and  are  to  a  very  large  extent  a  "fixed  charge" ;  that  is,  the 
average  expense  though  a  number  of  years  is  about  the  same 
whether  the  crop  is  fifty  bushels  or  eighty  bushels  per  acre. 

Let  us  turn  now  to  the  other  condition  affecting  productive- 
ness, heredity,  the  productive  forces  which  reside  within  the 
corn  germ  itself.  Here  are  powerful  factors  in  crop  produc- 
tion ready  to  act  for  or  against  us,  with  or  without  our 
knowledge  or  control.  It  is  the  province  of  the  corn  breeder 
to  obtain  knowledge  of  and  to  bring  these  factors  under  his  con- 
trol. 

Luther  Burbank  has  said ;  "Cultivation  and  care  may  help 
plants  to  do  better  work  temporarily,  but  by  breeding,  better 
plants  may  be  brought  into  existence,  which  will  do  better  work 
always,  in  all  places  and  for  all  time.  Plants  may  be  produced 
which  will  perform  their  appointed  work  better,  quicker  and 
with  the  utmost  precision."  Pure-bred  strains  of  corn,  for 
instance,  have  been  produced  which  yield  from  five  to  fifteen 
bushels  more,  of  corn  per  acre,  under  the  same  conditions  of 
environment,  than  strains  of  unimproved  seed  corn  of  the  same 
variety. 

Such  facts  make  it  highly  probable  that  many  of  our  Con- 
necticut varieties  of  corn,  of  which  we  have  a  number  well 
adapted  to  the  conditions  in  the  state,  may  be  made  consider- 
ably more  productive,  and  therefore  more  profitable,  by  careful 
continued  selection.  It  is  the  object  of  this  bulletin  to  indicate 
how  this  can  be  done. 


*A  100  bushel  crop  of  dent  corn  removes  from  the  soil  50  lbs.  nitrogen, 
14  lbs.  phosphoric  acid,  and  73  lbs.  potash  in  the  stalks  and  cobs ;  and 
96  lbs.  nitrogen,  38  lbs.  phosphoric  acid,  and  23  lbs.  potash  in  the  grain. 


principles  of  corn  breeding.  5 

Beginnings  of  Domestic  Improvements  of  Corn. 

Domestic  animals  have  been  selected  and  bred  ever  since  our 
earliest  historical  records.  From  earliest  times  the  difference 
of  sex  in  animals  was  recognized  and  perhaps  the  value  of  cross- 
ing animals  of  superior  merit.  With  plants  the  case  is  very- 
different.  The  sexuality  of  plants  was  established  compara- 
tively recently  (by  Camarerius  in  1691),  and  it  is  only  during 
the  past  century  that  anything  like  a  direct  effort  has  been 
made  for  the  improvement  of  cultivated  plants. 

Animal  breeders  have  been  fortunate  in  the  fact  that  desir- 
able qualities  could  be  readily  recognized  and  so  the  animals 
be  readily  selected  for  breeding.  Plant  breeders  have  been 
under  the  disadvantage  of  being  able  to  control  the  male  parent- 
age in  the  breeding  of  very  few  plants,  without  great  care  and 
expense.  In  corn,  which  is  a  wind-pollinated  plant,  it  is 
impracticable  on  any  large  scale.  On  the  other  hand,  plant 
breeders  have  an  immense  advantage  over  animal  breeders  by 
being  able  to  deal  with  very  large  numbers  of  individuals  and  to 
obtain  the  data  from  a  generation  in  a  comparatively  short  time. 
Although  in  an  open  field  breeding  plot,  as  that  of  corn,  we 
can  keep  a  pedigree  record  only  through  the  female*  side  (the 
ears),  we  are  able  to  progress  comparatively  rapidly,  because 
from  the  isolation  of  the  breeding  plot  and  the  selections  made 
each  year  we  know  that  the  sires  of  the  seed,  that  is,  the  stalks 
furnishing  pollen,  are  in  general  all  superior  plants  with  the 
same  amount  of  breeding  behind  them  as  the  dams  (the  mother 
ears),  although  we  cannot  say  which  particular  stalk  or  stalks 
have  furnished  the  pollen  for  each  individual  ear.  The  prin- 
ciple may  be  illustrated  as  follows :  a  dairyman  who  owns  a 
herd  of  pure-bred  Jersey  cattle  might  breed  his  cows  to  a  number 
of  pure-bred  bulls,  but  keep  the  record  of  his  herd  only  through 
the  dams ;  he  knows^  that  in  every  case  the  sires  of  his  calves 
are  animals  superior  to  common  stock. 

Principles  of  Corn  Breeding. 

We  do  not  yet  understand  many  of  the  principles  under- 
lying   corn-breeding,    and    cannot    predict    the    limit    of    the 


*Record  of  male  plants   can  be  kept  when  only  two  ears   are   used 
in  each  plot  and  all  plants  from  one  ear  detasseled. 


6  CONNECTICUT   EXPERIMENT    STATION,    BULLETIN    1 52. 

amount  of  improvement  we  can  make,  nor  the  time  it  will  take 
to  bring  any  definite  result.  We  do  have  methods,  however, 
which  are  more  nearly  correct,  and  which  bring  quicker  results 
than  the  methods  in  general  farm  use,  although  even  such  primi- 
tive methods  as  were  in  use  by  the  North  American  Indians  have 
undoubtedly  done  much  to  improve  corn  in  both  yield  and 
quality.  The  fact  that  corn  has .  a  large  ear  which  must  pass 
through  the  hands  at  husking  time,  and  thus  bring  to  notice  its 
good  and  bad  variations,  has  undoubtedly  led  to  the  conscious 
selection  of  the  largest  ears  for  seed  from  very  early  times, 
and  has  given  to  us  many  types  of  greater  or  less  excellence. 

The  two  factors  in  the  improvement  of  corn  are  variation  and 
heredity.  Variation  (the  universal  tendency  of  the  offspring 
to  depart  in  some  respects  from  the  character  of  the  parents) 
furnishes  us  with  ears  of  corn  of  greater  and  of  smaller  yielding 
powers  under  like  conditions,  and  of  more  and  of  less  nutritive 
value,  while  heredity  (the  universal  tendency  of  blood  relatives 
to  possess  like  character)  gives  to  the  progeny  of  these  indi- 
vidual ears,  within  certain  limits,  the  same  qualities  possessed 
by  the  parents.  For  example,  if  on  uniform  soil  we  plant  the 
kernels  from  fifty  ears  of  corn  of  uniform  appearance,  plant- 
ing kernels  from  each  ear  in  a  single  row,  we  may  find  at 
harvest  that  the  yield  of  corn  from  equal  lengths  of  the 
separate  rows,  calculated  to  the  acre,  ranges  from  thirty  to 
seventy  bushels.  There  was  an  inherent  power  in  the  seed 
of  one  ear  to  produce  seventy  bushels,  when  under  the  same 
conditions  the  seed  from  another  ear  could  produce  only 
thirty  bushels  per  acre.  Now  if  we  plant  our  corn  the  next 
year  from  ears  that  produced  at  the  rate  of  seventy  bushels 
per  acre,  we  shall  obtain  in  their  progeny  a  strain  of  corn 
which  will  prove  a  better  yielder  than  if  we  had  planted  ears 
from  rows  that  yielded  at  the  rate  of  thirty  bushels  per  acre. 
Man,  himself,  cannot  originate  these  variations,  but  he  can 
be  on  the  alert  to  recognize,  isolate  and  fix  those  favor- 
able variations  which  nature  provides.  The  problem  of  corn 
breeding  is  to  provide  the  best  methods  for  recognizing,  select- 
ing and  propagating  such  favorable  variations  as  occur. 


corn  breeding  in  connecticut.  7 

Examples  of  Improvement  of  Corn  by  Breeding. 

During  the  last  few  years  a  great  deal  of  work  has  been  done 
by  different  Agricultural  Experiment  Stations  toward  corn 
improvement.  Following  their  lead,  associations  of  farmers 
have  been  formed  in  several  states  for  the  purpose  of  improving, 
their  strains  of  corn  in  yield  and  quality,  and  adapting  them  to 
the  needs  of  particular  localities.  The  members  of  these 
associations  are  engaged  in  corn  breeding  as  a  business  enter- 
prise, and  pledge  themselves  to  sell  only  corn  with  a  registered 
pedigree,  from  breeding  plots  grown  according  to  the  rules  of 
the  association.  These  associations  have  been  successful  in 
their  undertaking,  and  the  members  of  one  of  them,  with  all  of 
whom  the  writer  is  personally  acquainted,  have  scarcely  been 
able  to  supply  the  demand  for  the  better  seed,  although  it  has 
been  sold  at  more  than  double  the  former  price. 

Besides  being  able  to  increase  the  yield,  vary  the  width  of 
leaf,  the  amount  of  husk,  the  height  of  ear,  etc.,  the  Illinois 
Experiment  Station  has  shown  that  it  is  possible  to  change  the 
average  composition  of  corn,  and  by  selection  has  increased 
the  protein  content  of  a  dent  variety  of  corn,  from  an  average 
of  10.9  per  cent.*  to  almost  15.0  per  cent.  This  will  be  appre- 
ciated by  the  Connecticut  dairyman  when  he  considers  that  the 
average  protein  content  of  wheat  is  but  13.3  per  cent,  and  the 
average  for  oats  is  but  13.2  per  cent.  In  fact  it  is  a  higher 
protein  content  than  is  found  in  several  of  the  so  called  "con- 
centrated feeds"  now  on  sale  in  the  Connecticut  market. 

Corn  Breeding  in  Connecticut. 

In  trying  to  answer  the  question,  what  improvements  are 
needed  in  Connecticut  varieties,  it  seems  advisable  that  work 
should  be  carried  on  looking  toward  the  improvement  of  flint 
corn,  of  dent  corn  and  of  sweet  corn.  We  have  varieties  of 
flint  corn  in  Connecticut,  which  at  present  have  an  average 
protein  content  of  over  13.0  per  cent.  These  varieties,  how- 
ever, can  unquestionably  be  improved  in  yield  of  grain,  in  gen- 
eral leafmess,  height,  strength  and  total  yield  of  stalks.  There 
are  uniform  dent  varieties  which  are  now  producing  fair  yields 

*A11  percentage  statements  made  in  this  bulletin  refer  to  water-free 
material. 


8  CONNECTICUT   EXPERIMENT   STATION,    BULLETIN    1 52. 

of  fodder  corn,  but  need  to  be  improved  in  yield  of  grain,  earli- 
ness  of  maturity,  nutritive  value  and  hardiness.  Finally,  we 
have  varieties  of  sweet  corn  which  need  improvement  in 
quality,  reduction  in  the  thickness  of  husk,  a  shorter  time  for 
ripening  seed,  and  various  minor  points,  of  value  to  canners. 
The  old  belief  that  corn  growers  would  profit  by  bringing  in 
seed  from  other  localities  in  order  to  prevent  a  deterioration 
in  yield  and  quality  has  been  shown  by  careful  experiments  to 
be  without  foundation.  It  is  true  that  we  may  bring  in  a  well- 
bred  seed  corn  from  some  careful  breeder  in  another  locality, 
and  by  inattention  to  selection  have  it  degenerate  in  quality 
within  a  few  years ;  but  this  only  shows  to  greater  advantage 
the  value  of  having  strains  of  corn  selected  for,  and  adapted 
to,  particular  soils  and  climates ;  strains  that  have  become  used 
to  the  imperfect  physical  and  chemical  conditions  of  certain 
soils,  or  the  lack  or  superabundance  of  moisture  in  certain 
climates.  Such  adapted  strains  we  have  found  in  Connecticut 
where  they  have  been  subjected  to  a  certain  amount  of  selection 
on  the  same  farm  for  many  years  and  with  some  of  these 
varieties  the  Connecticut  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  is 
now  at  work  along  the  lines  of  improvement  suggested  above. 

Methods  of  Selection. 

There  are  three  general  methods  of  selection  for  corn 
improvement ;  first,  the  selection  from  the  crib ;  second,  the 
selection  at  husking  time  from  the  general  field  crop;  third, 
selection  in  the  field  and  use  in  a  separate  breeding  plot.  The 
first  two  methods  have  been  until  within  a  few  years  the  only 
methods  in  use,  and  the  progress  made  by  their  use  has 
been  very  slow.  The  second  method  is  a  slight  improvement 
over  the  first  because  better  care  can  be  given  the  selected  corn 
during  the  winter ;  but  neither  does  what  it  might  be  supposed 
to  do  toward  the  isolation  of  corn  which  has  the  power  to  yield 
well,  and  the  power  to  transmit  this  quality.  The  reason  is 
that  no  account  is  taken  of  the  strength  of  the  stalk,  manner 
of  bearing  the  ear,  production  of  suckers,  growth  of  brace 
roots,  amount  of  leaves,  etc.,  all  of  which  necessarily  have  a 
great  deal  to  do  with  the  end  in  view.  Moreover,  the  good 
qualities  of  a  handsome  ear  selected  from  the  crib  may  all  be 


METHODS    OF   SELECTION.  9 

due  to  the  accidental  advantages  of  its  environment;  that  is, 
it  may  have  grown  in  a  more  fertile  spot  of  ground,  or  it  may 
have  had  the  advantage  of  more  space,  and  hence  more  plant 
food  and  sunlight,  through  accident  to,  or  poor  germination 
of,  the  neighboring  kernels. 

The  third  method  of  selection  is  the  one  which  most  com- 
mends itself,  and  which  I  wish  to  describe  in  detail.  The 
method  consists,  in  brief,  of  determining  in  a  breeding  plot 
the  actual  productive  capacity  of  each  individual  ear  used, 
and  in  selecting  and  breeding  only  from  those  ears  which  have 
proved  their  yielding  efficiency. 

The  general  plan  is  to  grow  a  breeding  plot  upon  uniform 
ground  separate  from  the  general  field  of  corn.  This  breeding 
plot  consists  of  a  number  of  parallel  rows  of  corn,  each  sepa- 
rate row  having  been  planted  from  the  kernels  of  one  ear,  so 
that  the  corn  produced  by  each  row  represents  the  offspring 
of  one  single  female  parent.  The  rows  being  of  equal  length 
and  the  stand  approximately  alike  (the  germinating  capacity 
of  each  ear  having  been  tested),  the  weights  of  the  corn 
produced  on  each  row  become  an  exact  measure  of  the  pro- 
ductive capacity  of  a  single  mother  plant,  and  each  ear 
from  a  row  is  the  daughter  of  a  mother  which  had  a  known 
productiveness.  A  pedigree  record  on  the  female  side  may, 
in  this  manner,  be  established.  It  often  happens  by  this  method, 
that  in  testing  two  seed  ears  practically  alike  in  size,  weight 
and  general  appearance,  one  yields  at  the  rate  of  forty  bushels 
per  acre  and  the  other  at  the  rate  of  eighty  bushels  per  acre. 
We  find  some  very  good-sized,  nice  looking  ears  in  the  forty 
bushel  row,  and  we  find  some  very  poor  ears  in  the  seventy 
bushel  row.  By  the  other  methods  of  selection  the  good  ears 
from  the  forty  bushel  row  would  have  an  equal  chance  of  selec- 
tion for  seed  with  those  of  the  eighty  bushel  row,  except  for 
the  probable  greater  number  of  them  in  the  latter.  All  will 
agree,  however,  that  there  is  an  advantage  in  planting  corn 
which  came  from  the  eighty  bushel  row. 

I  have  found  in  a  comparison  of  a  number  of  ears  that 
the  smallest  ear  sometimes  yields  the  greatest  amount  of 
grain  in  the  next  generation,  when  planted  by  the  row  system. 
The  explanation  is  that  this  ear  came  from  a  strain  that 
possessed  to  a  remarkable  degree  the  power  of  transmitting 


10  CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION,,    BULLETIN    I52. 

good  yielding  qualities,  and  while  this  individual  happened 
to  be  small,  possibly  through  disadvantage  in  environment, 
it  still  .had  the  hereditary  qualities  of  the  strain  from  which 
it  came.  This  principle  has  long  been  recognized  in  animal 
breeding.  A  breeder  of  fast  horses  in  choosing  a  sire 
between  two  stallions  of  equal  trotting  ability  will  breed 
from  the  one  having  the  largest  get  of  fast  colts.  And 
since  we  now  know  that  the  breeding  of  plants  is  in  its 
essentials  like  that  of  the  breeding  of  animals,  we  use  this 
method,  based  entirely  on  performance,  in  all  breeding  work.  If 
we  wish  to  increase  the  yield  of  grain  we  compare  the  amounts 
of  grain  produced  by  equal  rows  from  single  ears ;  if  we  wish 
to  increase  the  protein,  we  plant  ears  which  are  high  in  protein 
content  and  select  from  the  progeny  which  show  the  highest 
average  protein  content ;  or  if  we  wish  to  increase  the  height 
of  the  stalk  we  select  the  high  stalks  from  a  "single  ear  row" 
in  which  they  average  high,  but  not  from  extremely  high  indi- 
viduals in  a  row  where  the  stalks  were,  on  an  average,  short. 
Occasionally  we  find  extreme  variations,  as  yet  unexplained, 
in  rows  when  we  would  not  expect  to  find  them,  and  in  passing 
these  over  we  may  possibly  miss  something  of  value,  but  in 
commercial  corn  breeding  we  cannot  usually  afford  time  to 
study  abnormal  variations  of  obscure  cause,  for  only  by  sted- 
fastly  following  the  performance  method  are  we  likely  to 
gradually  attain  our  end. 

Some  combinations  of  character  are  naturally  antagonistic, 
as  very  high  yields  and  extreme  earliness ;  and  in  such  cases 
results  are  slow  to  obtain  and  are  bounded  by  rather  narrow 
limits.      1 

Starting  a  Breeding  Plot. 

Those  who  wish  to  start  breeding  plots  for  corn  improvement 
should  begin  with  the  best  obtainable  stock.  A  strain  of  corn 
which  has  given  success  in  the  neighborhood,  or  upon  the  same 
kind  of  soil,  is  the  best ; — one  which  is  known  to  have  had  some 
attention  paid  toward  its  selection  in  the  past.  Having  decided 
upon  the  variety  he  will  use,  the  breeder  should  go  through  a 
field  of  it  in  the  fall  before  the  stalks  are  thoroughly  ripe,  and 
mark  the  best  plants  of  those  that  have  had  no  advantage  of 
position   in  the   field.     He   should   select   those   which   are   of 


DEGREES    OF   RELATIONSHIP   AMONG   CORN    PLANTS.  II 

medium  height,  with  strong  stems,  good  brace  roots,  and 
broad  healthy  foliage ;  and  which  bear  good  ears  at  a  proper 
height  from  the  ground,  covered  with  a  moderate  thickness 
of  husk. 

At  cutting  time,  cut  and  stack  these  marked  plants  separately, 
and,  when  cured,  make  a  final  selection  of  the  ears,  taking  only 
those  that  husk  easily,  that  show  uniform,  deep,  wedge-shape 
kernels,  and  possess  strong  vitality  as  shown  by  germination 
tests.  Reject  all  ears  that  show  any  real  fault,  such  as  space 
between  the  rows  or  hybrid  kernels,  but  do  not  spend  time  upon 
fancy  points  which  have  no  probable  correlation  with  yield ;  as 
shape  of  the  dents,  colors  of  the  kernels,  or  fancy  shapes. 
Finally,  shell  off  the  kernels  from  each  ear  and  make  a  selection 
by  comparative  weights  of  grain. 

Degrees  of  Relationship  among  Corn  Plants. 

It  is  possible  to  have  several  degrees  of  relationship  among 
corn  plants.  First,  the  pollen  from  a  plant  may  fertilize  the 
ovules  of  the  same  plant.  This  we  call  self-pollination  or 
inbreeding.  Second,  the  pollen  of  a  plant  may  fertilize  the 
ovules  of  a  sister  plant,  or  one  which -has  grown  from  the  kernels 
of  the  same  mother  ear ;  this  we  call  close-pollination  or  close- 
breeding.  Finally,  pollen  from  a  plant  may  fertilize  the 
ovules  of  a  plant  not  closely  related  although  of  the  same 
variety ;  this  we  call  cross-pollination  or  cross-breeding.  There 
are  other  relations  between  varieties,  but  with  those  we  need 
not  here  concern  themselves. 

It  has  been  demonstrated  by  the  Illinois  Experiment  Station, 
that  there  is  in  the  field  a  large  possibility  of  inbreeding  because 
a  part  of  the  pollen  of  each  plant  is  shed  at  the  same  time  that 
some  of  the  silk  on  the  same  plant  is  mature.  Such  inbreeding 
has  practically  no  effect  upon  the  commercial  field  of  corn  where 
the  crop  is  sold  or  fed  and  has  no  chance  to  reproduce  itself. 
In  the  breeding  plot  there  is  a  different  condition  with  which 
to  deal.  We  have  there  parallel  rows  of  corn,  each  row  being 
the  progeny  of  one  mother  ear ;  and  besides  the  probability  of 
a  great  deal  of  inbreeding,  there  is  also  a  possibility  of  close- 
breeding.  Moreover  when  a  small  number  of  ears  are  selected 
and  planted  several  of  them  from  the  same  mother  ear,  the 


12         CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT   STATION,    BULLETIN    1 52. 

relationships  between  plants  have  a  tendency  to  keep  very  close, 
and  the  effects  of  close-breeding  tend  to  accumulate  from  year 
to  year. 

In  an  experiment  at  the  Illinois  Experiment  Station,  by  detas- 
seling  alternate  rows  of  a  breeding  plot,  a  cross  was  forced 
upon  the  detasseled  rows,  while  in  rows  not  detasseled  there 
still  remained  the  same  tendency  to  self-pollination.  From  the 
best  yielding  among  these  tasseled  rows,  more  or  less  inbred 
corn  was  selected  for  the  next  year's  seed,  while  cross-bred  corn 
was  selected  each  year  from  the  best  detasseled  rows,  and 
crossed  again.  In  this  manner  the  experiment  was  carried  on 
for  three  years,  each  year  planting  rows  that  were  to  be  left 
tasseled  from  corn  that  was  grown  upon  tasseled  rows,  and 
planting  rows  that  were  to  be  detasseled  from  corn  grown  on 
detasseled  rows.  Thus  the  hereditary  effect  of  probable  inbreed- 
ing upon  the  yield  in  a  breeding  plot  zvas  determined,  and  it  zvas 
found  that  the  crossed  rozvs  yielded  in  the  second  and  third 
years  an  average  of  about  ten  bushels  per  acre  more  than  the 
tasseled  rows.  The  effect  would  probably  have  been  greater 
except  that  the  pollen  falling  on  the  detasseled  rows  came  from 
rows  more  or  less  inbred. 

To  overcome  this  difficulty  the  breeder  detassels  every  alter- 
nate row  in  his  breeding  plot,  and  selects  all  seed  for  planting 
next  year's  breeding  plot  only  from  the  detasseled  rozvs.  This 
makes  it  absolutely  certain  that  all  the  corn  which  is  planted 
in  the  breeding  plot,  is  the  product  of  a  cross  in  each  and  every 
previous  year  since  breeding  began. 

The  Breeding  Plot. 

In  size  the  breeding  plot  should  be  as  large  as  it  is  possible 
to  put  upon  uniform  land  and  have  given  to  it  all  the  attention 
that  is  necessary  to  bring  success.  A  convenient  size  is  one  of 
ninety-six  rows  wide  and  not  less  than  one  hundred  hills  long. 
Ninety-six  rows  are  taken  on  acccount  of  the  number  of  times 
two  is  contained  as  a  factor,  as  will  be  seen  is  necessary,  when 
making  the  selections. 

*In  this  plot  are  planted  ninety-six  ears  of  the  corn  which  has 

*Note. — Breeding  plots  should  always  be  planted  in  hills  and  not  in 
drills,  if  planted  by  machine,  in  order  to  give  the  plants  more  nearly 
equal  soil  area. 


MAKING   SELECTIONS    FROM    BREEDING    PLOT.  1 3 

been  selected  the  previous  fall  in  the  manner  described,  plant- 
ing each  row  with  the  kernels  from  only  one  ear.  The  plan 
of  planting  the  ears  in  this  first  breeding  plot  need  not  be  con- 
sidered, because  all  previous  pedigree  or  relationship  between 
the  ears  is  unknown.  In  all  succeeding  years  the  corn  is  to  be 
planted  according  to  a  plan  hereinafter  described  which  has 
been  devised  to  separate  as  widely  as  possible  rows  which  are 
probably  related.  This  method  will  reduce  close  relationships 
to  a  minimum  and  avoid  their  evil  results. 

Detasseling. 

When  the  first  tassels  appear,  those  borne  on  stalks  in  all 
even  numbered  rows  should  be  pulled  out  before  any  pollen 
falls.  Cutting  the  tassels  from  the  stalk  has  an  injurious  effect, 
and  carelessness  sometimes  deprives  the  stalk  of  several  unde- 
veloped leaves.  If  the  tassel  is  given  a  steady,  upward  pull 
when  at  the  right  stage,  it  will  separate  at  the  top  joint  without 
injury  to  the  plant.  The  even-numbered  rows  will  need  detas- 
seling several  different  times  to  prevent  any  pollen  from  matur- 
ing, but  if  this  is  done  completely,  all  self-pollination  or  close- 
pollination  is  absolutely  prevented. 

At  the  same  time  the  odd-numbered  rows  should  be  carefully 
looked  over,  and  any  stalks  or  suckers  which  are  very  small  and 
weak,  which  are  barren,  or  which  possess  other  bad  character- 
istics which  they  are  likely  to  transmit,*  should  be  detasseled 
before  any  pollen  can  mature.  Sometimes  a  whole  row  should 
be  detasseled,  because  of  the  uniform  appearance  in  it  of  some 
particularly  undesirable  character. 

Making  Selections  from  Breeding  Plot. 

When  the  crop  is  almost  mature,  the  breeder  should  go  care- 
fully through  each  of  the  forty-eight  even  or  detasseled  rows 
and  select  from  ten  to  twenty  good  ears,  taking  into  considera- 
tion the  different  points  of  advantage  and  disadvantage  con- 
cerning the  stalk,  as  was  done  in  the  selection  the  previous 
year.     These  stalks  are  numbered  and  tagged  to  correspond 

*Note. — Barrenness  is  probably  not  transmittable,  but  we  should 
always  act  on  the  safe  side,  on  disputed  questions. 


14  CONNECTICUT    EXPERIMENT    STATION,    BULLETIN    152. 

with  a  number  in  the  record  book.  The  ears  are  harvested 
when  mature,  tagged  with  the  same  tag,  and  placed  together 
with  all  those  from  the  same  row,  in  bags  marked  with  the  row 
number.  Then  each  of  the  forty-eight  detasseled  rows  is  har- 
vested and  weighed  up  separately,  together  with  the  selected 
corn  from  the  same  row. 

A  comparison  of  the  total  weights  of  the  ears  from  each 
row  is  the  basis  of  selection  of  the  rows  from  which  to  take  seed 
for  the  next  year,  and  in  this  selection  fifty  per  cent,  of  the 
rows  are  discarded.  The  forty-eight  rows  are  however  con- 
sidered in  four  quarters  as  shown  on  page  15.  We  select  the 
six  best  yielding  rows  out  of  the  twelve  detasseled  rows  in  each 
quarter.  This  is  done  for  two  reasons ;  first,  in  order  to  avoid 
selecting  too  many  ears  from  a  few  extremely  good  rows  and 
thus  breed  from  closely  related  plants ;  and  second,  a  com- 
parison by  weight  of  each  quarter's  rows  by  themselves  avoids 
somewhat  the  error  of  comparing  two  rows  widely  separated, 
and  on  uneven  ground. 

After  comparing  the  ears  from  each  row,  noting  the  points 
mentioned  on  page  11,  the  final  selection  for  the  next  year's 
planting  should  include  four  ears  from  each  of  these  twenty- 
four  rows,  again  making  the  ninety-six  ears.  Two  ears  from 
each  row  are  used  to  plant  in  odd-numbered  rows  to  furnish 
pollen  (tasseled  rows),  and  two  to  plant  in  even-numbered  rows 
to  be  detasseled,  and  from  which  all  seed  is  to  be  taken. 

Plan  for  Planting 

The  plan  for  planting  the  breeding  plot  for  this  year  and  for 
each  succeeding  year,  in  such  order  as  to  obtain  the  greatest 
possible  amount  of  cross-breeding,  and  to  avoid  the  evil  effects 
of  close-breeding  and  inbreeding,  is  shown  in  Table  I.  In 
this  table  are  worked  out  plans  for  planting  which  may  be 
followed  perpetually  by  substituting  the  number  of  the  rows  of 
your  own  selection,  that  is,  your  own  best  producing  rows  for 
the  numbers  given  in  the  guide  systems.  In  the  guide  systems, 
for  the  sake  of  convenience,  the  first  six  even-numbered  rows  of 
each  quarter  have  been  used  as  the  selected  rows,  and  have 
been  placed  in  the  proper  order  for  the  next  year's  planting. 
There  is  a  slight  change  in  the  system  in  alternate  years,  and  the 


PLAN    FOR   PLANTING. 


15 


Table  I. — Plan  for  Planting  the  Breeding  Plot  to  Avoid 
In-Breeding — (after  the  111.  Exp.  Sta.). 

The  numbers  given  in  the  "  Guides  "  designate  the  field  rows  from  which 
the  seed  ears  are  taken.     (All  even-numbered  rows  are  detasseled.) 


Field  rov 
No. 


Guide  system 

for 

even  years. 


Guide  system 

for 

odd  years. 


Field  row 
No. 


I 

2 

....  3 

4 

5 

76 

-  2 

SO 

6 

84 

...78....  | 
..  2 

..._82....  ' 

_-.  6 

....86 

6 

7 

8 

9 

78 

4 

82 

....76-- 

4 

80 

10 

11 

8  ... 

86 

8 

....84--- 

12 

13---- 

14 

15 

16.... 

--..17---- 

12..  .. 

78 

_  -  2 

82 

6 

86 

...  12  . 

....76-.- 
2 

80 

6 1 

84 | 

18 

10 

10 j 

19 

20 

76 

4 

....78  —  . 
....  4---- 

21 

22 

23--.. 

80 

8 

84 

82 

....  8.-..1 
86 

24 

.12 

....12..-. 

Guide  system 

for 

even  years. 


Guide  system 

for 

odd   years. 


— 51 

— 52 

2 

...52 

4 

52 

53 

54 

----55------ 

..-.56 

...  6 

...56.... 

10 

...60 

;".-56---- 

.. 12 

60 

57 

....58 

...  4 

---54 

2 

54-... 

....59 

..  60 

61 

62 

8 

...58—- 

...12 

...62 

58---- 

10 

62 

.-..63 

.-..64 

...  4 

...52.-.. 

2 

, 52 

....65 

66 

.-..67 

..-.68 

-.  8 

..,56-— 

.  12  ... 
__.6o 

6 

56--- 

...  .10 

60 

--..69.-.---. 
-...70 

2 

---54 

4 

54---- 

71 

72 

-_-.73 

74 

6 

...58-.-. 

10 

...62.... 

58---- 

12 

62 

25 

52 

---54 

26 

26 

--.26 

-.-.27.... 

56 

...58...-] 

28 

30 

---30 

29--.. 

60 

62 i 

30 

34 

---34 1 

31 

54 

...52.... 

32 

28 

--.28.-.- 

33 

58 

...56-...  ! 

34 

32 

...32 

-.,-35---- 

62 

...6o 

---36--. 

36 

...36.— 

37---- 

54 

...52.... 

.---38---. 

26 

...26.... 

39---- 

58 

-.56---- 

40.... 

30 

-..30---. 

41---- 

62 

...6o 

42... 

34 

---34---- 

43---- 

52 

---54---- 

44---- 

28 

...28 

45---- 

56 

...58...- 

....46-.. 

32 

...32 —  ; 

47 

60 

...62 1 

---48---. 

36 

— 36..-I 

-75--- 
.76.--. 

-77---- 
.78-.-- 
.79---- 
.80-... 
.81-.-. 
.82---. 
-83---- 
.84---. 
-85-- 


...87- 


.90. 

-91- 
.92. 

-93- 
-94- 
-95- 
-96- 
-97- 


...26.... 

....76-.. 

...30---. 

...80-... 
....34---. 
—  .84--- 

....28 

....78.... 

...32.... 
....82..-. 

...36--.. 
....86.... 
..-.28--.. 
....76-  — 
.-.-32.... 
....8o..-. 

...36-... 
....84---. 
....26-... 
.--.78.... 
...-30.... 

82.... 

34-... 

....86.... 


.76- 
-32- 
.80- 
-36- 
.84- 
.26- 
.78-. 

-30- 

.82. 

-34- 
.86. 
.26- 
-76- 
-30- 
.80- 
34- 
.84- 
.28. 

-78- 
-32- 
.82. 
-36- 


Note  : — Numbers  49  and  50  are  omitted  for  the  convenience  of  having 
end  to  end  rows  with  the  same  final  digit. 


1 6         CONNECTICUT   EXPERIMENT    STATION,    BULLETIN    1 52. 

two  systems  are  distinguished  as  "guide  system  for  even-num- 
bered years"  and  "guide  system  for  odd-numbered  years," 
respectively. 

The  seed  for  even-numbered  rows  is  always  kept  in  the  same 
quarter  in  which  it  grew,  while  the  seed  for  odd-numbered  rows 
is  always  brought  from  another  quarter.  To  facilitate  this  plan 
it  is  convenient  to  have  the  field  shaped  as  it  is  shown  in  the 
diagram,  that  is,  quarters  three  and  four  end  to  end  with 
quarters  one  and  two,  although  no  particular  arrangement  is 
absolutely  necessary.  The  direction  of  changing  the  "tasseled 
seed"  is  illustrated  in  the  diagram. 

Direction  of  the  Annual  Change  of  Seed  for  Tasseled  Rows. 


2^L    k: 


> 


3 


-> 


4f 


For  the  first  quarter  "tasseled  seed"  is  brought  from  the 
fourth  quarter,  for  the  fourth  quarter  from  the  second,  for  the 
second  from  the  third,  and  for  the  third  from  the  first.  This 
is  done  in  order  to  carry  the  seed  to  bear  "tasseled  stalks"  as 
far  away  as  possible  from  their  sister  ears,  which  are  to  remain 
in  the  quarter  in  which  they  grew  and  produce  "detasseled 
stalks." 

The  manner  in  which  we  arrive  at  the  "plan  for 
planting  in  even  years"  is  as  follows  :  First  consider  the 
even-numbered  rows  of  quarter  number  one.  Place  the 
selected  rows  in  proper  ascending  sequence  as,  2,  4,  6,  8,  10, 
12, — then  place  them  in  sets  of  three,  using  alternate  numbers 
and  repeating:   2,  6,  10, — 4,  8,  12, — 2,  6,  10, — 4,  8,  12. 

Then  for  the  odd-numbered  rows  bring  seed  from  the  proper 
quarter  {fourth  in  this  case),  and  make  the  plan  in  the  same 
mariner ,  except  'that  the  order  of  the  two 'sets  of  three  is- 
reversed  in  the  second  set  of  six.  Suppose  the  rows  to  be  76, 
78,  80,  82,  84,  86;  then  the  plan  would  be  76,  80,  84, — 78,  82/ 
86,-78,  82,  86,-76,  80,  84. 


COMMERCIAL   FIELD.  1 7 

The  plan  of  planting  for  the  odd-numbered  years  is  the  same 
as  that  of  even  years,  except  that  the  two  sets  of  six  are  trans- 
posed in  planting  the  odd-numbered  rows. 

The  corn  breeder  should  work  out  a  "plan  for  planting"  for 
both  odd-numbered  and  even-numbered  years,  by  these  direc- 
tions, using  as  selected  rows  the  first  six  even-numbered  "field 
rows."  These  plans  should  duplicate  the  "guide  systems" 
shown  in  the  table  and  should  be  compared  with  them  for  cor- 
rectness. After  once  working  out  the  system  it  is  very  simple 
to  make  actual  working  plans  for  breeding  plots  in  the  same 
manner,  putting  down  the  six  rows  actually  selected  in  each 
quarter  in  ascending  sequence  and  following  the  directions  for 
arranefinsr  as  before. 


Increase  Plot. 

This  is  a  plot  to  be  grown  from  the  remaining  good  seed  corn 
from  the  selected  rows  after  the  seed  for  the  breeding  plot  has 
been  selected.  The  plot  may  be  as  large  as  the  seed  will  permit, 
and  is  grown  in  order  to  increase  the  amount  of  "pedigreed" 
seed.  The  seed  for  planting  this  field  should  be  mixed  together 
and  planted  where  no  pollen  from  other  corn  can  reach  it.  No 
rows  need  be  detasseled  but  no  particularly  weak  and  no  barren 
stalks  should  be  allowed  to  mature  pollen.  A  record  of  the 
yield  per  acre  should  be  kept. 

Commercial  Field. 

From  the  best*  seed  from  the  increase  plot,  seed  is  taken  to 
plant  a  commercial  field,  or  field  from  which  seed  may  be  sold 
as  registered  seed  corn.  The  yield  here  also  should  be  care- 
fully computed  and  recorded.  This  plan  will  bring  the  seed 
from  the  commercial  field  always  two  years  behind  the  breed- 
ing plot.  If  a  breeding  plot  is  started  in  1906,  in  1909  it  will 
have  had  three  years  selection;  then  in  the  winter  of  1911-1912 
seed  from  the  commercial  field  can  be  sold  with  three  years 
breeding  behind   it,    as   is   shown   in  the   following   diagram. 


*"Best"  here  means  a  selection  such  as  was  made  in  order  to  start  the 
breeding  plot,  as  we  cannot  here  test  actual  productive  efficiency. 


1 8         CONNECTICUT   EXPERIMENT   STATION,   BULLETIN    152. 

As  can  be  seen,  any  seed  from  the  increase  plot  not  used  in  the 
(commercial)  field  could  be  sold  as  having  one  .more  year's 
breeding  than  that  from  the  commercial  field  of  the  same  year. 


1906 


1907 


1908 


2909 


1910 


Record  Keeping. 

A  register  sheet  for  keeping  the  records  of  the  breeding  plot, 
which  is  used  at  the  Experiment  Station,  is  here  shown  in  minia- 
ture. The  full  size  sheet  is  12  X  18^4  inches,  which  fits 
a  Sieber  and  Trussel  Mfg.  Co.  loose  leaf  ledger  cover.* 

Some  of  the  columns  for  data  found  on  the  record  sheet  are 
not  necessary  to  every  corn  breeder.  They  are  being  used,  how- 
ever, at  the  Experiment  Station,  to  further  the  improvement 
of  corn  as  fast  as  possible.  Almost  all  of  the  headings  to  the 
columns  are  self-explanatory ;  some,  however,  need  explanation. 

The  "registered  number"  is  made  up  of  fivef  places,  and  is  the 
permanent  number  designating  any  ear  of  corn  planted  in  a 
breeding  plot.  It  may  be  considered  as  being  divided  into 
three  parts.  The  first  figure  denotes  the  year  of  breeding,  the 
next  two  places  denote  the  row  in  which  the  ear  is  planted,  and 
the  last  two  places  represent  the  row  from  which  it  came  the 
previous  year.  Suppose  10600  to  be  a  register  number  for  the 
first  year.  The  first  figure  1  would  mean  that  this  was  the  first 
year's  breeding.  The  next  two  places  06  would  mean  that  it 
was  to  be  planted  in  row  6.     The  last  two  places  are  ciphers, 


*Note. — The  station  will  gladly  supply  these  sheets  to  any  one  wish- 
ing to  take  up  the  breeding  and  selection  of  corn,  and  will  also  cheerfully 
give  any  necessary  help  in  arranging  plans  for  planting  or  other  details 
of  the  work. 

f  In  the  tenth  year  of  breeding  and  after,  it  would  contain  six  places. 


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20         CONNECTICUT   EXPERIMENT   STATION,    BULLETIN    1 52. 

because  this  is  the  first  year's  breeding  and  we  have  no  pedigree 
record  of  the  mother  ear.  Now  suppose  an  ear  coming  from 
the  row  representing  this  ear  (row  6)  was  to  be  planted  in 
row  4  the  next  year,  its  register  number  would  be  20406;  2 
meaning  second  year's  breeding;  04,  that  it  is  to  be  planted  in 
row  4 ;  06,  that  it  came  from  row  six  in  the  previous  year.  By 
this  means  any  ear  can  be  easily  traced  back  for  any  number 
of  years  on  the  pedigree  record. 

The  annual  ear  numbers  are  the  numbers  given  to  the  selected 
stalks  in  the  fall,  and  transferred  to  the  ears  when  harvested.* 
These  numbers  are  used  to  designate  the  ears  during  the  winter 
while  comparing  them,  making  germination  tests,  etc.  The  data 
taken  on  the  stalks  at  the  fall  selection  should  be  taken  in  a 
separate  record  book,  and  when  the  final  selection  of  ears  is 
made,  only  such  data  as  refer  to  ears  actually  planted  should  be 
copied  on  the  permanent  register  blank. 

The  records  of  the  ears  are  then  put  down,  and  these  if  taken 
in  full  will  practically  permit  of  the  reconstruction  of  the 
ear  on  paper  should  a  study  of  its  characteristics  be  needed 
in  after  years.  The  data  taken  upon  the  ears  is  also  valuable  in 
comparing  the  percentage  of  transmission  of  any  good  quality 
from  an  ear  to  its  progeny. 

The  last,  and  most  important  of  all  records,  is  the  recording 
of  the  breeding  performances  of  these  ears,  under  the  general 
heading,  "Records  of  resulting  rows."  These  records  are  our 
bases  of  comparison  for  selection  of  rows,  and  mistakes  made 
here  are  very  far-reaching  in  their  consequences.  It  should  be 
noticed  that  in  making  the  weights  of  rows  of  equal  length, 
that  each  quarter,  in  which  rows  are  to  be  compared  among 
themselves,  should  be  cut  on  the  same  day,  and  husked  and 
weighed  upon  the  same  day,  in  order  that  the  moisture  in  the 
corn  will  be  as  nearly  equal  as  possible  when  the  rows  are 
compared. 

Knowing  the  distance  apart  of  the  rows  and  hills,  it  is  easy 
to  calculate  the  yield  of  each  row  to  bushels  per  acre,  and  com- 
pare them  on  that  basis.  If  the  hills  and  rows  are  3^  X  3i 
ft.,  there  are  3556  hills  in  an  acre ;  then,  if  we  have  weighed  up 


*When  two  ears  are  borne  on  a  stalk,  give  them  the  same  number  and 
distinguish  upper  and  lower,  as  89  U.  and  89  L. 


RECORD    KEEPING.  21 

one  hundred  hills  in  each  row,  we  will  obtain  the  yield  in 
bushels  per  acre  by  multiplying  our  weight  by  35.56  and  divid- 
ing by  the  number  of  pounds  in  a  bushel.  The  latter  item  will 
be  from  seventy  to  eighty  pounds  according  to  the  amount  of 
drying  it  has  received,  between  cutting  and  husking. 

In  conclusion,  I  might  say  that  it  will  probably  always  be  more 
profitable  for  farmers  who  grow  only  a  small  amount  of  corn, 
to  buy  their  seed ;  but  they  should  be  able  to  buy  it  from  some 
reliable  seed  corn  grower,  who  grows  a  breeding  plot  and  is 
striving  to  the  best  of  his  ability  to  select  a  strain  of  corn  that 
will  be  adapted  to  their  locality, — one  that  will  produce  better 
yields  on  that  particular  soil,  and  under  those  climatic  conditions. 
Such  seed  is  worth  an  advanced  price  in  the  market,  and  does 
obtain  it  as  is  shown  by  the  great  demand  by  growers  for  pure- 
bred seed  at  advanced  prices  in  the  states  of  the  middle  west. 
There  is  scarcely  a  doubt  but  that  several  men  in  each  county 
in  Connecticut  could  make  such  work  financially  profitable, 
besides  being  benefactors  to  the  state  at  large. 

The  Connecticut  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  would  be  _  glad  to 
correspond  with  any  farmer  who  desires  to  start  a  corn  breeding  plot. 
If  requested,  the  agronomist  of  the  station  will  come  and  assist  the 
breeder  in  deciding  the  location,  planning  the  rotation  and  the  general 
management  of  the  breeding  plot. 


University  of 
Connecticut 


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